Sprinkler head shutoff tool



March 11, 1947. J, NELSEN T 2,417,265

OFF TOOL SPRINKLER HEAD SHUT- Filed Aug. 9, 1944 2 She'ts-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Jn'hn FL 181215211 ATTORN EYS Mairqh 11, 1947. J. A. NELSEN E'fA| SPRINKLER HEAD SHUT-OFF TOOL Filed Aug, 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q v c /2 Q a INVENTORS G) v John B Nelsen 5 Harrg [H.Fin'lag i, Q

/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 11, 1947 v SPRINKLER HEAD SHUTOFF TOOL John Arthur Nelsen, Glendale, and Harry G; Finlay, Burbank, Calif.

Application August 9, 1944, Serial No. 548,744

This invention relates to shut-off tools for sprinkler heads of automatic fire extinguishing systems.

When a sprinkler head is rendered operative by heat acting upon the fusible link associated with the usual levers of the valve assembly normally closing the head, 'or is set voii byaccident, such as by breaking the yoke supporting the adjusting screw or abutment against which one of the levers of the valve assembly normally abuts, it is the usual practice to actuate the shut-off valve by means located remote from the sprinkler head, when the fire is under control or there is no fire, shutting ofi the supply of water. This often takes considerable time and frequently results in damage to the building and its fixture, and movables in the building. Even after the shutoff valve is closed the open head mayemit water by gravity flow, for some time so that fire extinguishing systems are provided with drain valves to rid the system of water. Some time may elapse before the water level is below the 2 Claims. (Cl. 169-1) taken in connection with the accompanyin open head even after the drain valve has been opened. Thus the water fiow continues from the head for a considerable period of time, during which it is no longer required for fire extinguishing purposes, or after the head has been accidently broken.

The principal object. of this invention is to provide shut-off tools which may be used to quickly and effectively shut off the liquid flow at any sprinkler head of the system, no matter whether such flow is the result of fusing of a link or a broken yoke.

Another object is to provide shut-off tools which may be adjusted for operation with different makes and models of sprinkler heads. The distances between the valve seats and the adjusting screws or abutments in axial alignment with the seats, in different makes and models of sprinkler heads, may vary considerably. The shutoff tools of the present invention may each be initially adjusted for use with the particular sprinkler heads of the system it is to serve and require no further adjustment 'at the time oi actual use if all of the sprinkler heads have substantially the same spacing of valve seats and cooperating abutments, as is usually the case.

A further object of the invention is to provide shut-off tools having valves which may be quickly replaced if worn or damaged without the necessity of dismembering the tools.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of. the invention.

drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shut-off tool or equipment for use in stopping the fiow of liquid, if the sprinkler head is unbroken, under which circumstance only the primary unit shown to the left engages the sprinkler head, and the other or secondary unit, because of the chain connection, can be used as a weight to assist in shutting off the liquid flow; or, in the event the sprinkler head is broken, shutting of)? the liquid by both units engaging the sprinkler head. .Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of the pri; mary unit. 7 I Fig.3 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of the secondary unit. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a sprinkler head and the primary unit in use appliedtheretoa Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig, 4. I I a Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figs 4 and 5, and with a wire guard applied to the sprinkler head to show the manner in which the primary unit may be used without removing the guard.

Fig. 7 is a, view in elevation, showing the primary and secondary units in use applied to a broken sprinkler head.

In the drawings there is shown a suitable or well known form of sprinkler head 8 and in Fig. 6, a guard 9 is shown which in practice may be in-' stalled particularly where the head is locatedin a position otherwise subjecting it to the hazards incident to traflic. However, in most installations the-sprinkler head is left unguarded, because of the added cost and labor required to install. It is understood by those skilled in the art that normally these sprinkler heads each has associated with it a pair of coacting levers, a fusible link and a valve, not shown in the drawings and that the sprinkler head is set off become misplaced one with respect to the other,

and so that the secondary unit may hang pendently from the primary unit when the latter is used with an unbroken sprinkling head, thus serving as a signal, easily'observed, that an emergency device is in use and, by its weight, assisting in holding the emergency valve closed.

Briefly the sprinkler head comprises a main body portion i3 provided with a screw threaded nipple M, for connection with the piping for the extinguishing liquid, port thru the nipple and surrounded by a valve seat 16 and an enlargement I] providing wrench receiving faces l8, and ashoulder ld; a hubbedyoke 20', the arms 2| of which extend from opposite'sides of the enlargement l1 and the hub 22 of which is axially aligned with the port l5 and spaced a suitable distance from the valve seat IS; an abutment flfi,

usually in the form of a screw carried bythe hub 22 so as to also be spaced from the seat It and axially aligned with the port 15; and a spreader or distributor 24, secured to the hub in g 7 any suitable manner. The distance between the V abutment 23 and the valve seat It varies in 'dif-- ferent makes and models of sprinkler heads'and the pre'ferred form ofourinvention.contemplates the provision of a shut-cit tool that may be ad.'-'

justed to meet the requirements for use with the particular sprinkler heads they are to service.

The particular. form of guard 5 in Fig. 6 is merely shown by way of example 'to emphasize the point that the primary unit ii! may be used tostop the flow of liquid without removing the,

ing spider 25- secured to the body it of the sprinkler head adjacent theshoulder l9, and a wire" basket-like portion 2%" carried by the spider,

the vertical wiresZi of portion 25 being spaced apart a distancesufiicient to accommodate. portions of the unit iil'inserted therebetw'ee'n'.

Referring nowtothe primary unit 10, it pref- V guard. Briefly the guard comprises an attache erablycomprises a lever 28- providedwitl-ia Ehan die 29 atone endand a head portion es at-the other end. In practice the major portion' of this unit may be inexpensively-made from-"a flat bar of metal, bent intermediate its ends toiorm the lever portion and the handle portion, and

having its end remote from the latter, bent at an acute angle and tapered to provide a tongue which assists in the" placing of the tool and forms a part of the head portion 36.

.The head portion also preferably includes'a stem adapted to enterthe' port 15- andavalve 33 for engaging the valve seat It;

In,practice we prefer to provide the tongue 3i with a curved guide surface 34 for sliding engagement with the abutment 23-, this curved'face I being tangential to a flat surface 35 located at one side of the lever head, opposite to the sidethereof from which the stem 32- extends. The

stem 32 is'preferably, threaded, as at 36, thruout the major portion of its length; and it has its one end received in a screw threaded bore '3'? and a countersink 38 formed in the lever 2-8,th'e end of the. stem being flattened as at 39 to fill the: countersink and prevent rotation of the stem with, respect to. the lever; and it also has a cylindrical' stud-like portion 40 at its free end of a diameter at least as great asthat' of the'threaded portion 35. The stud-like portion 40 preferably has its free end rounded; as at'l', to'guai'd against injury to the valve seat l6 and to facilitate placing of thepreferred form of valve 33 on the stem was hereinafter described. This stem 32' is preferably' disposed with its, axisnormal to the fiatsurface" 35 and adjacent to the 'juncture between the surfaces 34 and 35. Thus the lever 28 may be canted to guide the stud-like portion 40 of stem 32 into the-port. I 5,' withthe curved surface Mending-with respect to abutment- 23. A

2,417,265 r I T 4 The valve 33 is preferably adjustable along the stem 32 by means 42 which, in the example 7 shown, comprises an abutment washer 43 ,a feed nut #64 engaging the washer and a lock nut 45 engaging the nut 4. The valve 33 is preferably made of two perforated disc-like members as and 4? of compressible material, such as rubher, the member ifi engaging the washer 3 and themember engaging the member G6. The boreor perforation 48 of each of said members .is preferably made with a diameter less than the diameter. of, stud-like portion ll! so that the membersitand 4i must'be forced upon the latter and engage it with intimate contact. The rounded terminal M of the stud-like portion 48) facilitates placing of the valve members. By feed- ,ing thenuts Ml and d5 along the thread 36 the I position of rest oithe valve maybe adjusted forfirm'ly sealing the port i5 when the unit Iii is used to temporarily shut off the'fiow of liduid'from. the sprinkerhead, asis obvious from an inspection of Figs. 4,. 5 and 6.

As to the secondary unit H it is not engaged with the sprinkler head if the latter is not broken,

but only set off due to meltingiof the fusible link of-the usual sprinkler head valve, anditisdesired. to use the unit lilas a shut-off device. However I unit ll, being connected to unit. 10 by flexible unit 2; the former mayhang from the handle portion 2t, acting as a signal and assisting in hold-- ing the lever 28 in a shut-off position.

The unit I l preferably comprises a yoke 50 consisting of a base portion 5! and parallel arms 52.

and 53 a handleQM secured to the baseportion- 5i as by rivets or screws 55;. and, an adjustable abutment device 55 carriedby arm 52- The arm 53 is forked to provide a recess 5'! receiv ing the bodyportion of the sprinkler head, and

tines58 which engageupon the shoulder is when" the unit H is in place asshown'in Fig.- 7, in association witha broken sprinkler head. The arm" 52 is preferably'provi'ded with a: screw threaded bore 59 receiving the screw threaded shank EILof 1 a screw 6!, the headtrof which acts like the abutment 23 of an unbroken sprinkler head for coo-perationwith unit H, as shown in Fig. 7. In order that thescrew 6 i may be efiectively held in its adjusted position, according to the characteristics of the sprinkler head it is to service, we provide nuts 63 and 64 on shank til, the'nut 63. en-rreadily adjusted} tomeet the condition prevailingor met with inconnection with'the particular sprinkler heads it is to service; and that the units'may be quickly and conveniently manipu-' lated to shut off liquid flow from the sprinkler head and retain it closed until the time arrives-to recondition the head for further automatic use.

' "The head of lever 23 is in reality a strut-like head portion adapted to be interposedbetweenthe valve seat i6 and the abutment 23 with. the valve 53 forengagementwith seat It bodily adjustable with respect to the terminal endor fiat surface 35; whereby the-tool may be. adjusted to the various spacings of. valve seats and abutments of difierent fire. extinguishing sprinkler heads and it is notnecessary toproduce various sizes of tools to meet the-range ot sizes of sprinkler heads produced by various manufacturers and found on the market.

We claim:

1. A device for stopping the flow of liquid from a fire extinguishing sprinkler head of the character having an outlet port, a valve seat surrounding said port and a shoulder exteriorly of the port and spaced from the valve seat, said device comprising means detachabiy engaging said shoulder, providing an abutment axially aligned with said port and spaced from said valve seat, and a lever provided with a strut-like head portion adapted to be interposed between said valve seat and abutment, said strut-like head portion including a valve for engaging said seat and a terminal end for engaging said abutment.

2. A device for stopping the flow of liquid from a fire extinguishing sprinkler head of the character having an outlet port, a valve seat surround ing said port and a shoulder exteriorly of the port and spaced from the valve seat, said device comprising means detachably engaging said shoulder, providing an abutment axially aligned with said port and adjustable toward and from said valve seat, and a lever provided with a strut-like head portion adapted to be interposed between said valve seat and abutment, said strut-like head portion including a valve for engaging said seat and a terminal end for engaging said abutment.

JOHN ARTHUR NELSEN. HARRY G. FINLAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

